Hi, i am a 15 year old boy who is really in to music and would like to become a mobile DJ.

I have created a Business Plan. I have £1200 available for the4 initial phase. I have set aside about £200 for advertisement and insurance(i have been told i will need it).

I have also decide to do family paries and childrens parties at first because i haven't got lots of old music, but have got lots of modern music.

That means i have about £1000 for equipment.

This is what i have been told i will need.

Microphone
1000W Amp
2 x 600W 15inch speakers
Headphones
Dual CD Player, Mixer with 4 channels(so i can link it to turntables later)

2 x Colour light sets
multi-colour light rope
Sml strobe light

Mixer case
CD's (i ve already got alot)
CD carryers

***********************
Phase 2 - Expansion

2 direct drive turntables
mixer

45W strobe
Light stand
Mojo Spin Master
Fog machine and timer

More CD's

Maybe two more speakers
***********************
Is this the right sort of equipment to get? What do i need? What don't i need? Whats insurance for?

Please help me

If your looking to just do small parties then I think there is not much point in using a 1000W sound rig, they may like it loud but not that loud.
As for lighting I would not bother with a strobe but mabye go for somthing a bit bigger like a pair of moonflowers (about £40 each).
Chris will sell you a speaker system inc amp for about £350 dual cd player, you might get away with just 2 portable ones (I stared on them ) so about £200 for dual cd players cheap ones but do the job. Mixer about £150. That leaves abour £300 for leads and extras and lighting

Have fun what ever you get.
Iam sure Chris will help you out with anything you want..

Tom

So would a 600W amp be OK with 2 x 600W 15 inc speakers?

Also is there any special places where dj's cn get music from?

and do i need insurance?

Have you already got the 600W speakers?
If so you might as well go for the 1000W amp.
If you have not I dont think you will even try and use that amount of power, a pair of 300W speakers will easily do a small to mediam sized venue.

Yes, can't think of any at the mo, but they do loads of CD's from all times.

If you are just doing house parties for your friends and family you dont need any insurance, your house hold insurance will cover you for £1500 worth of stuff not sure about liability but Iam sure it up to a sertain amout.
I think Chris posted some links to DJ insurance on here, just have a look.

Hope this helps.

Hello Dan and Welcome to D.J Chat

Firstly, I reckon that your business plan is around 90% accurate!, however we just need to work on the last 10% which is mainly equipment selection.

Okay, the area's that we need to look at, firstly Tom is correct - you have been advised well over the top for your sound system where as your lightshow will be a little bit lost when you come to do larger venues. If you plan on buying a 1000w sound system then you'll find that you budget is around £700 lighter after just buying your Amp & Speakers - which doesn't leave a lot for other items!.

Most people start out with either a 500W Sound System or a 800W Sound System and these are enough for most village halls and Childrens Disco's - (I remember the first kids disco that I did and most of the younger infants ran around with their hands over their ears!). Even for a High School Disco - you'll find that an 800W amp will see you through.

Okay lets look at the Larger Sound System First:-

Soundlab Sp800 - 2x 400W amp @ £249.00
Pair of Idex 15" Loudspeakers @ £269.00
Twin CD Player @ £199.00
4 Channel Mixer - £99.00
Flightcase - £60.00

Okay now the Smaller system:-

Soundlab SP500 Amplifier 2x 250W @ £150.00
Pair of Soundlab 15" Loudspeakers @ £129.00
Twin Cd Player @ £199.00
4 Channel mixer @ £99.00
Flightcase £60.00

We would throw in a basic mic, headphones and all leads free of charge.

Lighting - well avoid the strobe for a start since most schools ban them (because young kids are more subseptable to fits - and the School - and YOU don't want that sort of problem) and most adults hate them as well! so your budget would be better spent elsewhere.

Some sort of Moonflower effect makes a good centrepiece - We can offer a pair of DMX 250W Vista's for only £189 which link together and look very effective.

Here is my suggestion for a lightshow:-

Pair of DMX Vista's or similar at £189.00
Soundlab Blaze 250W moonflower @ £60.00
Tripod Lighting Stand @ £32.00
Soundlab Remote Fog Machine @ £45.00

I use a fogger which has a timer facility and never use the timer!. Since they cost around twice the price of a similar non timer machine it is a waste of money!. Basically it's not much effort to push a button for a few seconds now and again - even my "Roadies" manage to do that

Okay based on the smaller system we have:-

£637.00 for Audio
£326 for quite an impressive lightshow
Making a total of £963 - even allowing an extra £30 for delivery you are still well within your budget!.

If you choose the larger system you would be £32 OVER budget at a total of £1232 however, this isn't bad for a 800W system with intelligent lighting.

I would advise against buying anything with GENI on it - I seem to spend half of my life repairing their lighting (Look in the "tech" area of our forum for one customers' story!). If you do want to swap the Vista Moonflowers for a Scanner then we can offer the Soundlab Cyclops for around the same price as the VISTAS for a PAIR!.

Okay, insurance - it is a legal requirement to have public liability insurance. this means that for a yearly fee you are insured aganst any damage to persons attending your disco through negligence on your part. This means that if somebody electrocutes themselves by touching a live piece of equipment, or a speaker falls of the stage onto them, then you are covered by your policy if they decide to take you to court and sue you for damages. Most policies will cover you for between £1million and £3million worth of liability which is usually enough even in the event of somebody being badly injured or - god forbid - a fatality.

Insurance isn't that expensive but you do need to arrange it. We have "Mikeee" from the TVDJA organisation who sometimes visit's this forum. I know that they offer reasonable rates of public liability through a yearly subscription to their organisation. I don't know whether they would accept you since you are only 15 - perhaps Mikeee could comment on any age restrictions?. If you want to find out more about the TVDJA their link is in our "DJ links section".

Advertising - well you do need to place an ad in your local paper. Choose one small ad to run for say 4 issues, since this is usually more effective than one large ad run for a single issue and should also get you a discount on the price for a multiple edition run. I find that a website now generates around 80%+ of my new bookings. if you start up and want some help in building a website then let me know and I'll try and help. Tom is also good at website building as well

Also for advertising - have some business cards done and pin these on noticeboards in leisure centres, Schools, Church Halls etc. You can find more info on advertising if you look around this forum.

If you need anymore information then please post here, or email me chris@dj-supplies.co.uk

Chris

Oh and I forgot - for D.J Compilations then check out "Mastermix" - they offer loads of DJ Only compilations - they are expensive but you can build up your collection as you get established.

The Link is:-

MASTERMIX DJ

Did I hear my name being mentioned.....

Public Liability Insurance (PLI) my favourite subject.

Our association recommends two companies:

Musicgaurd - Equipment Insurance with an automatic £1,000,000 PLI cover, and It hink an extra £29, increases this to £5,000,000.

Country Mutual Ins, (formally Dixon Chalmers) I believe off the top of my head is £70.00 for £2,000,000 & £100.00 for £5,000,000.

Now depending on the area where you live, this will affect the amount of PLI you will have to have. I'm in Surrey and the local Ramada wants £5,000,000, but my contact in Birmingham say that £2,000,000 is still the level there.

Check out your local venues and ask "how much" that will give you a good guide line.

I do need to add that some insurance companies will not insure under 16's, I have spoken to CMI about this, and they told me that they would, what I don't know is, if this is general or for association members.

Yet another down side - CMI's policy runs 2nd Sept to 1st Sept, so you have to pay full wack, even if it's only for a couple of months.

More down sides, whoever you insure with - READ THE SMALL PRINT - If there is a claim due to an "electrical problem" if your kit does not have PAT, your insurance will not pay out. PAT wot's that I hear you cry. Portable Appliance Testing, this is carried out on all equipment and cables that pass more than 50 volts throu' them to ensure they are safe to use.

The Numbers:::::::

CMI - 01 952 641 321
Musicgaurd - 02 476 851 000

If you have any questions, call me on the TVDJA hot line, 01 252 330 297. or email me, send me a PM or carrier pigeon, which ever is easiest.

Mike

thx for all the help guys, chris has sed he will help me learn, then i will by the gear off him, his prices r amazing.

Oh Dear !!! what HAVE I let myself in for!!!

It turns out that Dan only lives a few miles away, so subject to his parents' approval it looks like I've got another trainee D.J starting over the Summer

I get the feeling that Dan is quite chuffed about this...

Can I come???
Might take me a bit to get there...

And why should I let you come along Eh Tom??. All I get from you is hassle! and you never say anything nice to me

QUOTE

Chris you are my hero!!

I'm quite touched actually!!, I've never been anybody's hero before and it's nice to be appreciated.

I'll have to brush up on my mentoring skills

Good thread - plenty of good advice.
Just a quickie here on Insurance.
No matter how much you are insured for, if you are proved negligent your Insurance Company may not pay out. (So never say "sorry").
That`s why it is imperative to have your gear PAT once a year (as has already been pointed out).
Depending on how far into the field of Entertainment you want to go, you could join Equity, as they include £2,000,000 of PLI as a standard benefit of membership. Also £150 "Back Stage Loss" - in case summat gets nicked!
-------
When you start playing venues look to your own safety as well as the punters`.
Take with you a Mains Socket Tester and use it before you plug your gear in.
And - (from personal experience) - NEVER connect your gear using two different sockets at the venue. Use one socket and as many extension leads as you need.
I was once called to a venue where there had been a violent explosion, a near-electrocution and a small fire. The cause??
The place was on 3-phase mains and two mains sockets at either end of the stage were connected to different phases!!
This is a million to one chance that should never happen, but it`s something I never forgot!

Hi Modo,
Unless Equity have relaxed their rules, they are a bu**er to get into.
But, we have an alternative, If you are a "mix jock" and technical you create a new song out of two others, you are not a DJ, but, a musician, then you can join the MU. The annual membership is (I think) £60 and that includes £10,000,000 PLI. and the reason they can offer that deal and DJ associations can't (at the moment), they have about 150,000 members.
Now if I can sign up at least a 100,000 members I can get a deal - Ah well, carry on dreaming

Oh, almost forgot, Modo is right - ALWAYS CHECK THE MAINS SUPPLY AND USE AN RCD TRIP -
MODO, did you report the use of two different phases, I think thats a bit naughty.

Whilst we are covering Safety...................

A good idea to use the hard wired variety of RCD Breaker which connects to your distribution board as a slightly larger 13 amp plug then it is impossible to forget to use it, or lose it

QUOTE

NEVER connect your gear using two different sockets at the venue

In response to this statement - sometimes for safety it IS required to split up your current requirement over 2 or more sockets. For instance my own show requires around 4.5kw of power. Should I connect this to one 13A extension lead or double socket outlet then I would stand more risk of creating a fire hazard, than I would of discovering the sockets were on different phases!.

Also, in this day and age of powerful effects. large wattage bulbs and Power amps, remember that the most current that you can saftely draw from a standard socket is 13 Amps (Around 3kw or 3000 Watts) and this doesn't mean plugging a 3kw load into EACH output of a Double Socket . If your show consumes more than this then spread it over 2 or 3 DIFFERENT Socket outlets. Since most fog machines can consume 1000 - 1500W then your 3kw limit can easily be exceeded!.

For instance consider an average show:-

1kw Amplifier
(4x) 250W Light effects
1500W Fog Machine

Already you have 3500W of current - which is already more than one 13A outlet is designed to supply. Add a second amplifier and a few Metal Halide 575W effects and you stand a good chance of starting a fire if you only used ONE outlet

Also a good idea if you can to keep Lighting and Audio on seperate power feeds. Not only can this help to suppress some lighting interference (Old lighting controllers are notorious for this!). But in my experience faults are more likely to occur with multiple lighting equipment, than they are with CD Players and Amplifiers. So if your Lighting does blow a fuse or trip out, then you stand a good chance of not being met be complete silence!.

A large torch, portable fire extinguisher, Fuses, Fuse Wire, Spare lamps and basic tools are a MUST for every D.J's toolbox and these should be kept with you whilst "gigging".

Another useful addition to a D.J's skills is First Aid training. Although NOT a legal requirement in any way - Where large crowds of people gather emergencies do sometimes occur and you may be the only one there with training to deal with it . It's also a useful everyday skill because you may never know when you may be in an emergency situation.

Likewise, being able to evacuate a building, calmly in the event of a fire is something that you should be able to do - even if you don't use a Mic as part of your usual show . Most Hotels etc have a set proceedure for fire evacuation so it's a good idea to glance at the fire poster when you arrive at the venue.

On the same subject, if you do insist on using a fog machine at every venue then double check that your venue doesn't have an automatic fire alarm with smoke detectors! otherwise you may end up in an embarrassing situation where you have evacuated a building.

It's also illegal to block any designated fire exits, so don't set up your gear in front of one! - even if instructed to by the venue Bar Staff

RE: Fire exits.
According to Thames Valley Fire & Rescue. You can set up in front of a fire exit, provided there is room for people to reach the exit in the case of an emergency.
So as people trample over your kit and CD collection.............

A twin socket is (allegedly (sp)) designed to deliver 26 amps (2 x 13a) (I wouldn't like to try it)
A ring main came deliver 30 amps and a spur 13amps.
Confused, you will be after this.

if i am going to make a website to advertise my set up what information should i put on it?

Your best bet is too look at someone elses and 'copy' there ideas...

Tom, I don't like the word "copy", I think what you meant to say was "impove upon" or if you went to Public Skool - Enhance. (lol)

Yes, now what is the...Ahem....url of Mike's website?? I'm in an enhancing mood today

one of the most useful things any mobile dj can buy is a roll of Gaffer Tape, use it to tie down speaker leads to the floor or whereever.

Another essential for CD Djs is a good cleaning CD, Phillips make a good one, put it in both CD players before use...

another handy tip is a good microphone, the industry standard is a SM 58, I have had mine for over 10 years, the only thing you have to replace is the popshield once in a while.

Great for vocal work

Another tip is to invest in some good cases for your CDs or Vinyl, and also buy some Cardboard CD holders, available through the Record Collector Mag or a friendly CD shop...real useful to store those tunes you play alot!

Plus while on the subject of spares, always carry some spare XLR and jack microphone leads....one always goes New Years Eve believe me!

I have 4 flightcases, just for spares, one has XLR's and lighting 'bits', one has IEC's, one has 13amp plugs, sockets, extension leads etc and one has other bits in for 'special' jobs, Cat 5 cable, telephone lines etc. That's nearly half of the van full with spares, and as Mikeee knows I an completely fully loaded in the back of my van.

Dan - glad to see you have joined up... I really am impressed with the way you are going about things and hope that you will get tons of advice on here.
As for safety.... I always make sure that I do a quick announcement at the beginning of my gigs pointing out the dangers that could unfold if people do not take reasonable care..... as we all know, there are plenty of idiots who think nothing of diving off tables and if they then so happen to crash into your speaker stand and the speaker then falls on top of them... you are not liable!

hello everybody right im in the same situation as dan. i have read the whole of this topic but thought id specify my circumstances. know wot i mean! lol.

im getting some money in the next few months and im hoping my 'disco fund' will reach to around £1200. I will be setting aside money for advertising after ive bought all the equipment. i wont be up and running for at least another 6 months months or so due to up and coming stuff in school etc.. (post 16 education)

i havent been told what to get yet so im in desperate need for info. to start off, i plan on only doing small to medium venues. all ive ben told is that i'll need a minimum of £2000 - £3000 to start off. dunno how right is that!

id be extremely greatful for information here. thanks

Jonny,

Dont rush out and blow the budget untill you have seen some kit in action,

Watch the posts on the forum and vist lots of discos and take notes....

when i was planning my newest road show I drew a big picture on the wall of what i thought would fit where and came up with what i would like to see, but what you will find when you read posts and talk to DJs is that its only the DJs who notice what you have, most of the public dont give a damn as long as your playing what they want to hear.

keep in close contact with chris as he can supply you with almost any kit you want at the right price, and i hear the service is second to none.

and we all expect invites and free drinks on your first gig

There are a lot of people giving you good advice here - my advice is to listen to them.

and I don't just mean the ones 'bigging' me up .

The website will get done eventually, I have to juggle running a DJ workshop, Equipment sales, A busy Mobile Disco and this forum around building websites, Forum members get lower prices than from the website in any case, as do those who buy all of their gear in one package. A website shouldn't be used like a freemans catalogue!, purely buying from pictures!, if you don't know what you need yet, then perhaps its a good indication that you are better off delaying the purchasing of gear until you do know a little bit more and have gained more experience. And that is genuine advice, because i'm technically putting you off spending your money with me for a while .

Another question I ask is how many gigs have you currently got booked?. Purchasing gear should all be relevant to funding itself. It would be pointless rushing into buying £3000 of gear if you have £0 worth of bookings in your diary. How do you know that you can justify paying the £3000 before you know whether or not people are even going to book you?.

Have you considered hiring, whilst you establish you business?. Either from a shop or from the two Dj's that you mentioned, this way you only hire the gear when you have a booking, and if it all goes t*ts up, or you lose interest in it, then you aren't left with £3000 worth of debt and gear that is worth a fraction of what you paid for it.

Why not talk to these other two DJ's - the majority of all working DJ's have back up equipment which is used only in emergencies, I'm sure that if they are genuine and do want to help you, that they will consider allowing you to use this gear for a small 'hire' fee?.

If you are in my area, i'm sure that some budget hire deal could be worked out for you as and when you need it.

Hi,

I echo it, always go and check out a variety of model/makes t see which ones you like best.

Dan- when u buy lighting look at a 4ft girraffe stand to hold it all for 80 quid u get a long lighitng bar and 4ft table in one.

as for lighting I suggest just the vistas and a smoke machine, then see what other effects would look good.

Daniel

Sounds quite a wise plan to me.

I do agree with tom though. I also think some kind on moonflower effect would go down better than a strobe. Strobes are health and safety risks with kids. Young adults don't take much interest in them and the older ones usually don't like them (It makes them dizzy)

I have never been to sure about rope lights. They look ok if put up in a permanent rig but otherwise I'm afraid I have to say they do look a little tacky. (My appologies to anyone who uses one)

... Looks like a great thread going on here. The only thing that I haven't seen lately is anyone talking about PPL or PRS licenses - and which are and aren't required in what circumstances....... anyone care to advise?

PRS is not your problem, so ignore it. That licence is for buildings, it cover background music, to front of house music - from shops to hotels etc etc.

PPL, slightly different kettle of fish. They do have a DJ licence, which I think is about £130 a year. But you don't need it if: The functions you do are "family" parties (Weddings, Birthdays etc) or if you do a none family party and the venue books you more than five times, it's down to them. I had a conversation with a very nice young lady the other month, and she said, because of adminastration (sp) it is easier for them to licence the venue. So on that basis, depending on where you work and the type of work, you may not need one.

Jane, I would always suggest using two sockets, one for audio and one for lighting. If the building uses three phase, one one of those should go to any one room, if as in big halls they have to use more than one phase, I read somewhere years ago, that the sockets have to be colour coded as to which phase it's on, and sockets on different phases need to be a minimum of two (+) metres apart. Need to find my book of words!!!

the more mains sockets you use the better.... never plug everything into just one it will get warm and may even combust....